UK cancer research institute closing

Today's Big News

Jun 26, 2023

Pfizer drops oral obesity drug after seeing liver safety concern, focuses on less-convenient candidate


Vertex’s diabetes cell therapy spurs insulin production in a half dozen patients


UK’s flagging clinical trial sector faces fresh challenge as National Cancer Research Institute set to close


Lilly links oral obesity drug to 15% weight loss, setting bar for Pfizer in blockbuster battle


Boehringer's new data drop shows 19% weight loss for phase 2 obesity prospect


MoonLake shines brighter after IL-17 drug wins ‘meet or beat’ trial against competitors


After data breadcrumbs, Takeda shows elimination of deadly blood clot attacks for rare disease drug


Another clinical failure in lung disorder sends FibroGen hunting for cost savings


Invivyd, FDA agree on steps to emergency approval for COVID monoclonal antibody


Let there be light: Scientists report new progress in quest to treat afib with optogenetics

The Top Line Podcast: don’t miss out on the newest episode where we discuss ASCO data, rising health tech stars, and more. Listen now.

 

Featured

Pfizer drops oral obesity drug after seeing liver safety concern, focuses on less-convenient candidate

Pfizer is dropping one of its oral obesity drug candidates after seeing elevated liver enzymes in clinical trials. The setback leaves the Big Pharma’s near-term prospects resting on a candidate that is given twice as often as rival weight loss medicines in development at Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
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Top Stories

Vertex’s diabetes cell therapy spurs insulin production in a half dozen patients

Vertex could be “leading the path to insulin independence," according to analysts, after another batch of data showed that the off-the-shelf diabetes cell therapy stimulated insulin production in all evaluable patients, and that two were now insulin independent. 

UK’s flagging clinical trial sector faces fresh challenge as National Cancer Research Institute set to close

The U.K.'s National Cancer Research Institute is shutting down after 22 years due to a lack of funding. The non-profit opened in the early 2000's to bring together researchers nationwide with industry partners working on new therapies.

Novel Oncology Target Claudin 6 Makes its Case in Solid Tumors

In the ongoing search for new cancer treatments, companies including Context Therapeutics are developing potential therapies focused on the emerging novel oncology target Claudin 6.

Lilly links oral obesity drug to 15% weight loss, setting bar for Pfizer in blockbuster battle

Eli Lilly has laid down a marker in the race for the oral obesity market, linking its GLP-1 receptor agonist orforglipron to 14.7% weight loss at 36 weeks. The result sets a high efficacy bar for Pfizer but leaves ample room to improve on tolerability.

Accessing and Supporting EU Rare Disease Patients: a quick guide

Are you considering expanding your orphan drug in Europe? Discover key strategies to identify, engage and support rare disease patients, ensuring treatment adherence that makes a real difference.

Boehringer's new data drop shows 19% weight loss for phase 2 obesity prospect

After teasing a small data slice in May, Boehringer is now sharing more on its Zealand Pharma-partnered obesity prospect, with new data showing nearly 19% weight loss in a phase 2 trial.

MoonLake shines brighter after IL-17 drug wins ‘meet or beat’ trial against competitors

As if the race to get IL-17 inhibitors to market for inflammatory skin conditions wasn’t hot enough, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics has posted phase 2 data claiming to show its drug can take on all-comers in treating hidradenitis suppurativa.

After data breadcrumbs, Takeda shows elimination of deadly blood clot attacks for rare disease drug

Takeda took an enzyme replacement therapy to regulators in January with a trail of data breadcrumbs, but now the Japanese pharma is cutting off a couple more slices from the whole loaf, showing a complete reduction in deadly blood clot attacks in patients with an ultra-rare disease.

Another clinical failure in lung disorder sends FibroGen hunting for cost savings—as shares crash

Once heralded as a potential blockbuster, FibroGen’s pamrevlumab did not live up to expectations in a phase 3 study for a chronic lung disease. It’s the second time this month that the therapy missed the mark in a clinical trial, putting the San Francisco biotech into survival mode.

Invivyd, FDA agree on steps to emergency approval for COVID monoclonal antibody

Invivyd and the FDA have agreed on a path toward potential emergency use authorization (EUA) of the biotech’s lead monoclonal antibody and possible follow-on candidates designed to prevent symptomatic COVID-19.

Let there be light: Scientists report new progress in quest to treat afib with optogenetics

Researchers have leveraged optogenetics, the use of light to control biological processes, to restore normal heart rhythm in rat models of afib. Their findings address some fundamental questions about whether the treatment has the potential to be translated to the clinic.

After early win in type 1 diabetes, Vertex joins forces with Lonza on new cell therapy production plant where it plans to employ 300

To support production of VX-880 and a second clinical candidate for type 1 diabetes, VX-264, Vertex and Lonza are teaming up on process development and scale-up for the manufacturing of the drugmaker’s portfolio of stem cell-derived, fully differentiated insulin-producing islet cell therapies.

ADA: Abbott pushes for widespread CGM use in Type 2 diabetes with WeightWatchers, ADA collabs

Abbott unveiled a new partnership with the American Diabetes Association and kicked off its previously announced WeightWatchers collaboration during the ADA’s annual scientific sessions in San Diego on Saturday.

Lundbeck replaces retiring CEO Dunsire with UCB exec after breaking sales record

Lundbeck CEO Deborah Dunsire is retiring on a high note in the neuroscience company’s history. After hitting the company's highest quarterly revenue in the first quarter, the five-year Lundbeck chief executive will pass the baton to UCB's neurology head.

Conformis stock soars on buyout deal from fellow implant maker restor3d

Conformis, a nearly two-decade-old maker of 3D-printed, personalized orthopedic implants, has agreed to be acquired by a competitor in the space: restor3d, a North Carolina startup that spun out of Duke University in 2017.

AWS launches generative AI center backed by $100M investment

Amazon's cloud unit launched the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center with a $100 million investment, its most recent bid to keep up with the AI race.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': The most expensive drugs in the US, plus this week's headlines

This week on "The Top Line," we discuss the most expensive drugs in the U.S., plus Eli Lilly's recent acquisition, the latest company to challenge the Inflation Reduction Act, and the rest of the week's headlines.
 

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Enhance the cost-effectiveness of your GMP chemical supply chain

Learn how to develop a high-performing supply chain for cGMP chemicals used throughout your bioprocessing workflows.
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Autoantibodies: Powerful Biomarkers in Cancer Precision Medicine

Autoantibody screening is promising for early cancer detection with the potential to improve the whole treatment decision tree, providing a less invasive, powerful approach.
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Designing an Optimal APAC Clinical Supply Chain

Discover key considerations that every trial sponsor should know when navigating the complex clinical supply distribution landscape across Asia-Pacific.
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Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

Explore how clinical supply can be scaled up as decentralized programs progress, and how technological solutions can accelerate trial deployment.
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Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

Planning on using a CRO to support your next clinical study? This infographic outlines critical areas to address at the start of the relationship in order to ensure that budget and timelines keep on track for the duration of the trial.
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Strategies to Optimize Clinical Trial Enrollment Timelines

See how clinical trial sponsors can build stronger strategies to address challenges across the patient enrollment funnel, starting with four necessary steps.
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Commercializing Gene Therapies, Part 4 – Market Entry

This paper outlines various market archetypes and key considerations leaders must address when prioritizing new potential markets for gene therapies.
 

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